The invention relates generally to herbicides, methods of improving existing herbicides and controlling the growth of plant life and more particularly to methods and products involving succinate-based chemicals and other additives which can enhance the activity (effectiveness) of herbicidal compounds. As used herein, herbicidal refers to materials which destroy or inhibit plant growth, such as by desiccation or defoliation for example, to act as a harvest aid or to control weed growth.
Glyphosate and paraquat are the number 1 and 2 non-selective herbicides used worldwide. Paraquat is extremely toxic and therefore unacceptable for many applications. Glyphosate can be slow acting, commonly requiring 1 to 2 weeks to achieve plant death and is therefore also unsuitable for many herbicide applications.
Other conventionally known herbicides include fatty acids, such as pelargonic acid, a nine carbon fatty acid, and caprylic acid, an eight carbon fatty acid. Scythe, sold by Mycogen/Dow and Liberty, made by AgrEvo are known commercially available herbicides. Pelargonic acid is the active ingredient in Scythe and glufosinate-ammonium is the active ingredient in Liberty. However, the activity of these products is such that the cost of products such as Scythe can be undesirably high and the amount of active ingredients needed in products such as paraquat could lead to undesirable effects.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved herbicides, methods for enhancing the activity of existing herbicides and methods of controlling plant growth in order to overcome inadequacies of the prior art.